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There are many factors which determines when your girl will come in heat. Your best bet would be to ask the owner of her mother when she came in for the first time since it often runs in the family. Also, if you only have the one dog or just females around and they don't often interact with the opposite sex, things could be delayed. Amount of body fat or the lack of it will also delay heat cycles. The first heat cycle could be minimal, very little swelling, very little to no noticeable bleeding, and could last for a very short duration- under a week. Black dogs are also better at keeping these things "secret" over yellows which seem to be a lot more noticeable.

What Raina said!
I have never had a female (from my current family of Labs) that has had her first heat cycle before 12 months. Normal for us is in the 14-17 month range with a few a little sooner or later than that.

The three bitches I have now from oldest to youngest; 21 months, 35 months, and 7 months.

Howard NiemiYou really gotta be careful about how high a pedestal you put your method, your accomplishments, your dog on. There's usually someone who's done more, somewhere. And they may have used a different method than you did! Chris Atkinson 2013